Governor Jerry Brown on Monday vetoed a bill to create the Office of Sustainable Outdoor Recreation in California, a bill which passed through the California legislature with overwhelming bipartisan support.
The signing of AB 1918 would have made California the twelfth state with an official office or task force to support outdoor recreation, which accounts for $92 billion in consumer spending and 691,000 jobs throughout the state.
According to the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA), Brown in a statement to members of the California State Assembly cited his belief that the functions and goals of the proposed office are being met currently within the Department of Parks and Recreation and that a new office housed in the Natural Resources Agency is unnecessary.
“We are disappointed by Governor Brown’s decision to veto this widely supported bill,” said Amy Roberts, executive director of Outdoor Industry Association. “OIA will continue to work with California outdoor businesses and communities who understand the value of these offices around the country. We thank our members who worked so successfully to encourage the California legislature to pass AB 1918 last month.”
Brown’s term is up at the end of 2018, and OIA will seek opportunities to work with his successor to create an Office of Sustainable Outdoor Recreation in California, the state with the country’s largest recreation economy.
OIA again praised AB 1918’s primary author, Assembly Member Eduardo Garcia and the co-authors of the bill, Assembly Members Wendy Carrillo, Frank Bigelow, Kansen Chu, James Gallagher, Marc Levine, Rudy Salas Jr., Jim Wood and Catherine Baker, for their support and guidance in moving the bill through the legislative process.
